The Giants avoided a fourth quarter meltdown and picked up their first win of the season last week, knocking off the Redskins. They will look to continue a recent run of success against the AFC East when they visit the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. New York is riding a six-game winning streak against the division. The Bills will try and avoid a letdown after dismantling division rival Miami last week.
ODDS
Buffalo hit the board as a 6-point favorite with the total at 48. The line was wagered down to -5.5 with a point sliced off the total. Buffalo is 1-1 ATS at home, winning SU as a 1-point dog to Indy in Week 1 and falling to New England as a 2-point favorite in Week 2. The Bills are 4-1 ATS in their last five at home.
KEY INJURIES
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie – Hasn’t been cleared to play following his concussion sustained in Week 2. Jayron Hosley started in his place at cornerback opposite Prince Amukamara in the Giants’ secondary.
Sammy Watkins – Left last week’s game with a calf injury and didn’t return. The Bills have more depth this season at receiver and Percy Harvin will move into the deep threat role while Robert Woods continues to be the possession receiver.
LeSean McCoy – Saw limited action last week as he continues to deal with a nagging hamstring injury. Karlos Williams ran for 110 yards against Miami last week and will likely get the majority of carries in McCoy’s absence.
KEY MISMATCH
We all know what Odell Beckham Jr. is capable of on the field, but Reuben Randle’s production in New York’s win over Washington last week, gave Eli Manning a second reliable target. Now just imagine what would happen to the Giants offense when Victor Cruz gets back. Randle had seven catches and led all receivers with 116 yards and a touchdown in the 32-21 win, while Beckham Jr. pulled down seven balls for 79 yards and a touchdown. Manning, meanwhile, threw for 279 yards completing 71.9 percent of his passes with a quarterback rating of 119.1. It was Manning’s best game of the young season and now the Giants could have Cruz back in the lineup as soon as Sunday, as he gets closer to returning after nearly a year without playing in a game.
KEY STAT
83.3 – Buffalo’s red zone touchdown conversion rate. Buffalo has scored five touchdowns on six trips inside the opponent’s 20-yard line, a number that stands alone as the second-best in the NFL. After three games last season, Buffalo had just four touchdowns in 20 red zone trips.
BETTING ANGLE
When the 2015 schedule was introduced, it was clear the Bills season would be divided into three parts. The first part – a three-game stretch that included hosting the two AFC finalists from last season and a visit to a division rival – is now over, and the Bills emerged with a 2-1 record. The next section has long been seen as their easiest stretch, beginning with Sunday’s game against the Giants. Buffalo also has Tennessee, Cincinnati and a trip to London to face Jacksonville before the bye week. Nothing in the NFL is easy, but the Bills have a chance to gain some momentum before entering the second half of their schedule, which includes a difficult stretch of five road games in six weeks. The next month will go a long way to determining if the Bills are a playoff contender.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
New York looked much better offensively in its win over Washington and hopes to get Cruz back in the lineup, which makes the passing game even scarier. More importantly, the Giants didn’t vapor-lock in the fourth quarter and pulled out their first win. The G-Men will have extra rest as well, which should help them forget about their 0-2 start even more. Another factor in their favor is that the Bills haven’t been overly impressive defensively, particularly in the passing game. Two weeks ago Tom Brady riddled the Bills for 466 yards and three scores while the Pats put up 40 points. The Bills go as Tyrod Taylor goes, which has been really good in their wins. Taylor is still green and will have his ups and downs and the Giants need to put pressure on the young quarterback to rattle him into mistakes.
New York 27, Buffalo 24
The NFL spread for this Sunday game was first available at BookMaker Sportsbook and the Bills surfaced as 6-point chalk. The total opened at 48. Minute-by-minute spreads, totals and props are available for this game using the live betting platform at BookMaker.
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